Knitting mechanism



y 1931. w. HOUSEMAN v KNITTING MECHANISM 2. Sheets-Sheet l Original Filed Feb. 20, 1929 y 1931- w. L. HOUSEMAN 1,805,625

' KNITTING MECHANISM Original Filed Feb. 20. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mm Ess: I

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is also known to Patented May 19, 1931 UNITED STAT ES PATENT-- OFFICE.

WILBUR I. HOUSEMAN, 0F SOMERTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD- TRUMP BROS. MACHINE COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE Original application filed lfebruary 20,

xm'rrme mncinmsu 21, 1930. Serial No. 445,906.

This invention relates to a machine for knitting plated fabrics and particularly to a machine capable of producing four varitions in structure in a plated fabric.

This application is a application Serial Number 341,374, filed February 20, 1929, and is directed to the mechanism disclosed in that application and my application Serial Number 339,335, filed February 12, 1929.

It is known to knit plated fabric formed of three threads; namely, a plating thread which is normally on the face, a backing thread which is normally on the back, and a middle thread which is normally in the middle; all knit into the fabric in plating'relation. It bring the backing thread onto the face of the fabric either by reversing or otherwise changing the order .of the threads while maintaining them in plating relation. It is also knownto bring the middle thread onto the face of the fabric by reversp ing or otherwise changing the order of the threads while maintaining them in plating relation also by knitting in the middle thread and the plating thread in reverse plating relation and floating the backing thread; also by knitting in only the middle thread and floating the other threads.

Thereby three color striped and figured eifects and designs of great variety can be produced.

The efiect produced by knitting in the three threads in a difierent order so as to bring the backing thread or the middle thread to the {ac}? is not idialnttipalk1 rin t e ac n tli read fi gie face and floating one or both of the other threads. .One ob ect of my invention. is to provide a machine whereby thread or the middle there may be roduced a fabricin which, in

= drawing certain parts t ereof, one of the threads is on the face in plating relation to the other threads, while in other parts thereof the same thread is on the face while one of the other threads floats Thereby not only can-thrf'ee o a 'single color,eflectcanbe-produced. In the s and following description, oneexample of such a fabric. is disclosed.

division of my prior with theefiect produced Heretofore, in knitting three color-fabrics as above described, the threads were manipulated by deflecting selected needles in the yarn drawing operation, depressing selected needles to cause them to escape engagement with one'or two threads, or by both operations combined; and the positioning of the plating thread on the face in normal plating has been effected by imposing a greater tension on that thread than on the other two threads. The premature depression of certain needles has been effected y providing different width, which are actuated by a specially constructed radially movable cam, whose action in drawing down a given shouldered needle either at the normal time or prematurely depends on its radial position and on the width of the needle shoulder. Such shouldered needles must be constructe with the greatest accuracy, since a slight dearture from the calculated width of the shoulders renders the operation uncertain and may produce fabric in whichthe designs are defective. Another and important ob ect of the invention is to provide a machine which will simplify the method of causing a by prematurely .55

such needles with shoulders of 1929, Serial No. 341,874. Divided and this application filed April thread to escape engagement with selected needles, and avoid the use of speciall con structed shouldered needles and specia y constructed actuating cams.

The fabric hereincannot be. produced, it is believed, on an known machine except that herein disclose e described a preferred described and shown Fig. 1 is a diagram of part ofa circle of needles, the yarn feed and the usual needle actuating cams. a

Fig. 2 is an elevational v1'ew, mam1y m vertical section, of a part of a nee der and of the means for deflecting the neodles which it is preferred to e y g T out the process.

dle cylm:

Fig. 3 is a diagram 01' a small section of fabric embodying my invention; the same be- 1 ing enlarged and the openings between threads being relatively still more enlarged in order to more clearly show the construction.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the relative positions of the threads in the parts of Fig. 3 immediately below it.

Fig. '5 is a plan view, more. or less diagram mati'c, of an arc of the needle cylinder, the

or in the knitting of plated fabric. Greater I tension is imposed on yarn Z) than on-yarn 0 so that yarn b, when knitted into the fabric, will overlie yarn c. The thread a may be fed from a yarn carrier d. The point of feed of thread a to the needles in behind (relative to the direction of rotation-of the needle cylin-- der) the point of feed of threads 6 and c to the needles. Carrier (13 is located closer than carrier e to the circle of needles. A greater tension may be imposed on thread a than on threads I) and 0 so as to insure that thread a will be knit into the fabric inside threads I) and c, in order that in the finished plated fabric thread a will appear on the face or outside, as shown in the two wales l of Fig. 3. It is unnecessary, however, to impose a substantially greater tension on thread a than on threads Z2 and 0, since the point of feed of thread a from carrier d is so close to the circle of needles that, in the rotation of the needle cylinder, it will be carried over, and drawn frlctionally against, the outside of the shanks of a number of needles before it is engaged by the descending hook of a needle and knitted into the fabric; so that it will naturally strongly tend to remain on the inside during knitting and therefore appearon the face or outside of the finished fabric.

However, in feeding thread a to the needles as shownin Figs. 1 and 5, it will actually be fed to the inside of the normal needle circle and altogether escape engagement with the 'hooks of the needles in the subsequent yarn drawing movement (which occurs at a point considerably in advance of the point of feed of thread a) unless special means are provided to prevent such mode of operation. In order to cause thread a to be carried around the outside of the circle of P needles, the needles are deflected radially inward at the point f Fig. 5, that is, at such point, approximately opposite the point of feed from carrier d, that the thread will be fed outside the deflected needles and will,

after such deflected needles spring back to normal position, remain onthe outside of,

and be drawn against, the shanks of the needles before the thread is engaged by the needle hooks in the yarn drawing operation.

In order to reverse plate, that is, to knit a plated fabric in which the above described order of the threads is reversed, the hook ends of selected needles f are deflected radially inward in proper timed relation to the yarn drawing movement and to the casting off point. This, per se, is a known method of operation. In the finished fabri thread 0 appears on the face, thread I) in the middle,

and thread (I. on the back, as shown in the two wales II of Fig. 3 and the part of Fig. 4 immediately above those wales.

In order to knit a fabric in which the thread 72 appears on the face, the hook ends of se lected needles f are not deflected inward at at the point f Fig. 5, with the result that thread a is carried back of such needles and, in the subsequent yarn drawing movement of such needles is not engaged by the hooks thereof, whereby thread a is not knit into the fabric but floats back of the same, as illustrated in wales III of Fig. 3 and the part of Fig. 4 immediately thereabove.

In order to knit a fabric in which thread 0 appears on the face and thread a floats, the hook ends of selected needles f are not deflected inward at the point f Fig. 5, with the result'that thread a is carried back of such needles and, in the subsequent yarn drawing movement, is not engaged by the hooks thereof. The hook ends of the same selected needles are deflected radially inward at f in proper timed relation to the yarn drawing movement and to the casting off point. This effects a reversal of the normal positions of threads I) and a, so that thread 0 appears on the face in plating relation with thread I), while thread a floats at the back, as illustrated in wales IV of Fig. 3 and the part of Fig. 4 immediately thereabove. In order to selectively bend back needles it is preferred to utilize the mechanism disclosed and claimed in an application filed by me July 29, 1927, Serial N 0. 209,383. This mechanism is shown in Fig. 2. The needles f are moved up and down in a normal knitting wave by cams 9 operating in the usual way. Fastened to the needle cylinder is the sinker dial it, which carries the sinkers or web holders 2', which cooperate with the needles in the usual manner to form the stitches.

Below the sinker dial it isa slotted jack dial j, which is'atached to the sinker dial. ressers k are placed in the needle cylinder slots after the needleshave been inserted and are held in place by the two spring bands m- These pressers are so shaped that they bear against the needles at the extreme upper ends 0 the pre'ssers and also at points opposite the spring bands m. The needle cylinder slots are of greater than normal depth at 13 v of vertical positions of the butts.

a pattern which -10 ted fabric, jacks o are inserted'in the dial their upper ends, needles are unsupported above these shoulders, which act as fulcrums when needles are pushed back by the upper. ends ofpressers k. The jack dial jhas slots corresponding in number with the slots in the needle cylinder. At intervals and in groups in accordance with is to. be formed in the knitslots. These jacks are held lightly in contact with their corresponding needle pressers k by a spring band A threaded clamp ring g holds the jacks in their proper vertical position. The jacks are formed with slots on their rear ends so that sectionsmay be broken out in different places, leaving butts 0", which ma be in any one of any number of (say eight different vertical positions.

' -The cams s,

s. for operating the butts 0* should correspond in number to the number Each cam is in alignment with one of the corresponding butt locations on jacks 0. These cams do not revolve and may be moved,by' appropriate pattern mechanism known in the art, into and out of the paths of the butts 1' of jacks 0. When one or more of the cams s or 's' are moved and held-in the path of jacks o having butts r corresponding to the vertical positions of such cams, these jacks will be pushed at point f ,two sets of needle deflecting mechprovided. In Fig.

inward and will in turn rock the correspond.

ing pressers or pushers is, thereby springing the corresponding needles f at the fulcrum.

point n, causing their hooked ends to be bent back out of line needles-in the normal knitting plane.

Since provision must be made for deflecting both selected needles f and also all of the needles (except when thread a is to be floated) two sets of cams s, s are 5, the top cam of one set of cams is lettered a, while the top cam of the other set ofcams is lettereds. The two sets of cams are similarly lettered in Fig. 2. It

anisms, including will be understood that in an accurate'section I through either of the two needle deflecting mechanisms, only one set of cams, s or s could appear but both sets of cams are shown in Fig. 2 in order to illustrate their respective vertical posit'ons and make clear how they 7 act independently on the butts 1' ofjacks o.

By means of the described needle rleflectinward'or bent backat either point f or at fstripes but designs of indefinite variety,-1n three colors',lmaybe "produced in any desired parts of'itheffabric. Difierent modifications atanycourse of the'stitch forming point, or at both .oints, v knitting, whereby, ift reads a, b andc are of different colors, not only by, for exrelation to ig. 3) or in a i of a single color may be produced ample, knitting thread a m platin both the otherthreads (wales II,

forming shoulder a. The

with adjacent undeflected A .minin threa a. It is clear that if the fourth thread subjected to greater tension mechanism, any needle may be deflectedplating relation to only thread I), while thread a floats (wales IV, Fig. 3)

One of the pronounced advantages of the invention is the fact that reverse plating and floating are both produced by the same kind by deflecting needles of operation, namely, radially inward. This kind of operation presents decided advantages over'any other known kind of operation for producing either effect. It is true that needles have been deflected radially inward to produce reverse plating and it is also true that needles have been deflected radially'outward to cause the needle to miss the yarn; but the invention does not involve the mere, or any, association in one machine of two old mechanisms. or

is the mode of operation the same as would occur if it were poss1b e to associate inv one, 'machme the twoold mechanlsms.

In the invention all the needles are deflected radially inward at one point in the needle circle, whether it is intended to effect normal plating or reverse plating of all three threads; while selected needles are not so deflected, at the same point in the needle circle, when it is intended that one thread shall float. Neither normal three thread platin nor reverse three The fourth thread may be fed toward the needles in the. same way that thread a is fed toward the needles but at a different point in the needlecircle; and whether or not the fourth thread shall be knit into the fabric by a given needle will depend on whether or not such needle is deflected at the thread-feeding point. This amplification of the invention requires no illustration, since it involves a mere duplication of the yarn feed and needle deflecting devices shown herein for deter-- the engagement with a needle 0 is, for example, than the thread a, it will, if knit into the fabric by a-certain needle, appear on the face of the fabric in normal plating, whereas if it is not knit into the fabric thread a, if knit into the fabric, will appear on the face in normal plating; that in reverse platin thread 0 will appear on'the face. of the fabric; and that if neither thread afnor the fourth thread is engaged by a needle hook threadkwill'ap ear on the face o'f'the fa ric in nermal be fed-toward the needles a will'be seenthat the mechanisxnfust at scribed is very well adapts the pro action of elaborate designs in knitted plated fabrics. It will be obvious that numerous variations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. Knitting mechanism comprising a needle cylinder, needles movably mounted in the cylinder, devices cooperating with the needles to form loops at a. point, means for guiding yarns to the needles, one of the guiding means and the needles being arranged so that when the needles are in normal position they will fail to engage a yarn from the last named guiding means, means for deflecting needles out of normal position to effect engagement thereof with said yarn, and means for selectively effecting either normal or reverse plating of yarns during the formation of loops.

2. Knitting mechanism comprising a needle cylinder, needles movably mounted in the cylinder, devices cooperating with the needles to form loops at a stitch forming point, means for guiding yarns to the needles, one of the guiding means and the needles being arranged so that when the needles are in normal position they will fail to engage a yarn from the last named guiding means, means for deflecting needles out of normal position to effect engagement thereof with said yarn, and means for deflecting needles out of normal position at the stitch forming polnt to effect reverse plating of yarns engaged thereby.

3. Knitting mechanism comprising a needle cylinder, needles movably mounted in the cylinder, devices cooperating with the needles to form loops at a stitch forming point, means for guiding yarns to the needles, means for deflecting needles prior to the stitch forming point to selectively effect an engagement or failure of engagement of the needles with one of the yarns, and means for deflecting needles at the stitch forming point to effect reverse plating of yarns engaged thereby.

4. Knitting mechanism comprising a needle cylinder, needles movably mounted in the cylinder, devices cooperating with the needles to form loops at a stitch forming point, means for guiding yarns to the needles, one of the guiding means and the needles being arranged so thatwhen the needles are in normal position the yarn from the last named guiding means is fed inside the circle of needles and is not engaged thereby, means for deflecting needles inwardly to effect engagement thereof with said yarn, and means for selectively effecting either normal or reverse plating of yarns during the formation of loops.

5. Knitting mechanism comprising a needle cylinder, needles movably mounted stitch forming in 'the cylinder, devices cooperating with the needles to form loops at a stitch forming point, means for guiding yarns to the needles, one of the guiding means and the needles being arranged so that when the needles are in normal position the yarn from the last named guiding means is fed inside the circle of needles and is not engaged thereby, means for deflecting needles inwardly to effect engagement thereof with said yarn, and means for deflecting needles inwardly at the stitch forming point to effect reverse plating of yarns engaged thereby.

6. Knitting mechanism comprising a needle cylinder, needles movably mounted in the cylinder, devices cooperating with the needles to form loops at a stitch forming point, means for guiding yarns to the needles,

one of the guiding means and the needles being arranged so that when the needles are in normal position the yarn from the last named guiding means is fed inside the circle of needles and is not engaged thereby, means for deflecting needles inwardly to effect engagement thereof with said yarn, and means for selectively deflecting needles inwardly at the stitch forming point to effect either nor- 4 mal or reverse plating of yarns engaged thereby.

In testimony of which invention, I have herunto set my hand, at Wilmington, Delaware, on this 17th day of April, 1930.

I WILBUR L. HOUSEMAN. 

